President’s Letter May 2010
What an April!
Luckily, l think we may agree that spring is here, or perhaps summer, given the temperatures this past weekend.
At the Duncan house, we were not the only ones who made it through the long winter of 2010. Last summer, my son PD and I decided we would start a Koi pond. It was a very rough, homespun version and we promised each other that if the fish lived through the winter, we then would upgrade our pond. The Koi not only survived but are flourishing! We have seven new babies. In celebration, PD and I had a real pond professionally built for our new fish friends, much to the dismay of my husband and our dog.
This little home pond project reminds me of the Little Garden Club. We are flourishing this spring and this may be one of our best seasons yet. We were well represented in the Irvington flower show with winners in five classes. Andrea Stewart placed 3rd, Julie Goldie received a 3rd as did the duo of Julieane Webb and Nancy Sullivan. Nadia Valla won 1st in photography. A great showing for LGCR!
Our daffodil show LGC DAFFODIL SHOW (Link to PROGRAMS.SHOWS and EVENTS) was the largest ever and was really well publicized. We had over 500 entries even without the contributions of some of our most stalwart members. The junior entries were a great addition -- thanks to both Widgie Pierpont and Robin Russell. I am sure this class will continue to grow. Robin Russell and Susan Gable did a fabulous job with overall planning of the event and Robin's talents were recognized when she won two awards. Not only have the two agreed to chair the show again next year, but also they have pulled together a list of blue ribbon bulbs that we can order at a discount:
Division I: Tropical Sunset, Trumpet Warrior and York Minster
Division 2: Misty Glen and Precocious
Division 3: Mint Julep
Division 4: Sherborne and Extravaganza
Division 7: Pipit and Silver Smiles
Division 8: Falconet
Division 11a: Curly Lace
Miniature Division: Segovia
Challenge Class: GCA Centennial Daffodil
If you are interested in expanding your daffodil collection with any of the above-mentioned cultivars, you may preview all of them, with the exception of the GCA Centennial daffodil, in Brent and Becky's catalogue and on line at daffseek.com. We will pass a clipboard around at the May and June meetings with signup sheets detailing the characteristics of each cultivar, photo included. There is a 10% discount when we order and pay by July 1, and possibly more depending on how many we order. In 2004, when we offered a group purchase, the total order came to well over $800 which resulted in quite a nice savings. Buyers will be billed subsequent to the signup and through the club because we won't know the final cost until all the orders are tabulated. Susan and Robin think this is a good selection - varying in color combinations, divisions, and bloom time. We have tried to offer a collection where most of the cultivars bloom mid-spring and have taken into consideration whether or not they are proven winners and strong growers. We have chosen 14 because that is the number that was offered in 2004.
So please review and sign up!
We had entries in the Greenwich Daffodil Show and again had a good LGCR showing. Nadia entered photography and won 1st place and Best in Show. The show had tons of specimens, making for a wonderful display and Greenwich was thrilled to have our support.
Rye Garden Club had a lovely show at the Jay House. Not only was it a splendid setting but a great schedule. LGCR's Liz Garrett, Betsy Gallagher, Karen Mulhern and Rita Schubert made a big splash. Their boxed garden was a lovely interpretation and won a blue ribbon. Chris Murray had some wonderful hort. entries. Chris Murray and Kathy Barnard placed second in the chair class, while Nancy Sullivan and Julienne Webb placed third in the miniature class. Again Nadia Valla placed first in photography with another BEST IN SHOW -- The third first place ribbon in one month for her. I also wanted to thank all the LGCR members who showed support and went to the cocktail party. I am proud of all our efforts throughout the month. We were well represented in all the April shows.
We have had several "Trees of the Month" in the Rye Record. The public loves this information.
Let's keep the momentum! We are bigger and better, just like the Duncan Koi!
Cheers!
Chris
LOOKING FORWARD
Monday, May 10 board meeting 1 pm
Tuesday, May 11 CIVIC clean up. GO TO YOUR CIVIC SITES. Meet up at Rye Nature Center when finished.
